Scouting RAGBRAI 2015-Part 5 of 8: A Storm Lake Fathers Day Weekend

The Iowa Gallivant is on our 5th leg to bring you RAGBRAI’s (Register’s-Annual-Great-Bike-Ride-Across-Iowa) second leg. Storm Lake is a veteran when it comes to hosting RAGBRAI and it finds itself on the map as the second overnight destination once again. June is in full swing and so is Team Goodvin. Monie and JayJay have shown you plenty of adventures between the two of us when it comes to our RAGBRAI scouting and now it’s time to show the world that RAGBRAI knows how to welcome families of all ages, too. We give you a Father’s Day gift that can refresh any weary bike rider. How ’bout a dip! Nooo….Not the Copenhagen kind. A dip in one of Iowa’s best lakes and a refreshing plunge into a pool at 30 knots. (Is that fast? Help me out nautical friends) Miles of NW IA lakeshores and a water park fit for a king is absolutely ready for good-time’n RAGBRAI’ers. This is Storm Lake!

The shores, the town, the campgrounds, and everything Storm Lake has to offer will be waiting for the RAGBRAI legion.

80+ degrees with minimal cloud cover means one thing in Iowa. It’s pleasantly hot and we need to be outside in the nearest swimming establishment that engineers or mother nature has to offer. Thankfully, Storm Lake has PLENTY of both! Kick off those riding shoes and soak those bandannas!

After chugg’a-lugging my large ice coffee with two shots of espresso, we were ready for some of Storm Lake’s watery adventures. It’s mid-morning and that means it’s prime time for some high-speed water slide action!

King’s Pointe Waterpark was ready for Team Goodvin and all that braved its slippery attractions. Trust me, RAGBRAI…..It’s not just “kid stuff” here. Your legs and rear end may be tired, but the part in your brain that begs for watery twists and turns won’t be.https://www.facebook.com/KingsPointeResort?fref=tsKing’s Pointe on three! Ready……BREAK!Charlie and Gigi are ready to raft down the pipes of King’s Pointe Waterpark in Storm Lake, IA.https://twitter.com/kings_pointe

Time to check into our suite. Positioned right on the lake with it’s popular waterpark, King’s Pointe brings professional and exuberant service to all of it’s guests.

Our inner recess bell was going off and that meant it was time for lunch. We took a break from the water and headed to Lake Ave and found one of the most authentic taquerias in all of Iowa. That’s right. Not in L.A. or Austin. Iowa is peppered with some of the best Mexican food in the country and that’s no joke! Storm Lake is home to La Juanita Taqueria. We showed up at 11:15am and it was already busy. A very good indication that the food is going to be well worth it. Not only were we already looking forward to visiting this restaurant, La Juanita also came highly recommended by a fellow Iowa traveler that just happen to be in Storm Lake for the weekend!

Bellying up to a La Juanita Carnitas Burritos is Ray Wetherell, the driving force behind The Forgotten Iowa Historical Society. Ray is tirelessly updating the world on some of the most interesting locales our home state has to offer. Not only does he keep up on this amazing service to Iowa’s history, he keeps up his service to our country in the National Guard. Please check out The Forgotten Iowa Historical Society’s Facebook page. It’s one of the best ways to plan a spontaneous trip through the cornbelt!https://www.facebook.com/groups/forgotteniowa/

What did Team Goodvin order? Interesting question! Prepare yourselves……..

What is Iowa food? Well, you’re looking at it. La Juanita isn’t a load it with cheddar, drown it in sour cream, and microwave it to order restaurant. They use family recipes and use fresh ingredients with a truly authentic style. Above are pickled carrots and an ice cold grapefruit soda. On the bottom are four delicious tacos. Chorizo (Mexican Sausage), Buche (Pork Belly), Lengua (Beef Tongue) and Tripas (Beef Tripe). The four horseman of my favorite tacos. If you love fatty roast pork…You’ll love the Buche. If you love juicy roast beef…..You’ll love the lengua. If you love spicy ground sausage…..You’ll love the Chorizo. The tripas…..Just order them and enjoy!https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Juanita/100889183288986?fref=tsCharlie opted for the cheese enchiladas and they were outstanding! He also cleaned up everybody’s rice and beans. La Juanita’s in Storm Lake, IA.

After a great meal there needs to be a great stretching of the legs and constant patting of the gut. All we had to do was make our way to the shores. I know that many RAGBRAI participants will want to park the bikes and relax when they get to Storm Lake. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, the city of Storm Lake may draw you into another mini excursion when you coast in to town. The path around the lake features parks, gardens, countless wood carvings, monuments, and plenty of resting stops. Unwind gradually as you get to Storm Lake and take in it’s local history and pride.

Storm Lake has oodles to offer visitors and this amazing park was my personal favorite stop on our trip. After a long day on the open Iowa roads, riders could use some shade. And how about some of the most historic shade the world can offer. And it’s right here in Storm Lake.It was hard to pick a favorite, but I eventually did. All the way from the Ming Dynasty to Storm Lake, IA.You’ve found clue #3! Click HERE to go back to the Scavenger Hunt page to see the next clue!Just down from the Tree Museum is the beautiful campus of Buena Vista University and what will be home to hundreds of RAGBRAI campers. Pictured is one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of college football on any level. J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.Wood carvings can be seen all over Storm Lake and, most of all, on it’s shores. Storm Lake has a long and proud tradition of public art and supporting hard working sculptors and artists. Team Goodvin will always have a gravitational pull to public art of any kind.Danger………….Team Goodvin in complete relaxation mode. Storm Lake, IA.

Lunch time and path blazing is over. We’ve hit the water slides and now we need to get our lake fix and get sand in our toes. Just a short walk from our room at King’s Pointe is a local beachhead and another reason to spend a couple hours drifting away. Figuratively and literally speaking. We didn’t recreate the ending to Castaway or anything like that. Although yelling “Wilson” is my best way to impersonate Tom Hanks.

Look at the lower left corner of the pic….That’s right, RAGBRAI. You can get off one bike and hit the lake in another.Right across the street from King’s Pointe is the local bike shop. Sure to be staffed and ready to keep your bike gliding across the Iowa roads. https://www.facebook.com/lakeshore.cyclery?fref=ts

I have no idea how many official miles the kids swam. Perhaps there’s an app for that? Storm Lake, please figure that out. While you do, we need to get ready for dinner. What do we feel like having? How about some Laotian fare. Where could we go for that? California….New York? Nope! We stay in Storm Lake, IA.

A quick bike ride from anywhere is Storm Lake’s Little Vientiane.https://www.facebook.com/LittleVientiane?fref=tsA bowl of Pho is one of the best energy punches that anyone can get. Little Vientiane with its noodles and stock pots of steaming broth is prepared for any rider.

After dinner we made our way back to King’s Pointe Resort. Pho is a great way to fill you up and an even better energy booster with it’s high protein packed goodness. With daylight to spare I knew it was enough time to get in a quick 18 holes. After all, it was US Open weekend too.

It’s in the hole! King of the Putt-Putt course was I. While Rory, Lefty, Jordan and Tiger were huffing their way up and down Chambers Bay, JayJay, Charlie, and Leah were conquering a pirates cursed putt-putt maze in Storm Lake, IA.

Dusk is starting to set in and the youngsters are starting to feel it. We had a sun soaked day and there were no complaints when the beds were prepared for slumber. One-by-one, the Goodvin kids fell asleep. Yet, I felt unfulfilled. I needed to sneak out. Perhaps find an icy cold beer that plenty of Storm Lake establishments provide. That sounds great! I mean why not since everyone is sleeping. Or maybe something else that can make the whole group jealous……….

SNOWCONE BABY! A dreamcicle flavored shaved ice delight prepared by Javier at Shredded Glacier directly across the street from King’s Pointe.Storm Lake’s Lakefest was in full swing and Shredded Glacier was ready for anyone coming its way.https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shredded-Glacier/1447146482248665?fref=tsIt was Lakefest weekend too, and Storm lake knew how to put on a great show. Country music’s Dan+Shay performed right on the shores of the Lake and RAGBRAI can look forward to the tribute band of Arch Allies. Play some Skynyrd!

Two happy brain freezes and I was ready for a night of snoozing. Imagine the Storm Lake whitecaps lulling you to a soft and gentle sleep……..This is hard if you’re already thinking about breakfast…….

A Fathers Day alarm clock at sunrise. It’s 5am somewhere!

The breakfast bells were going off and so were the kids. We begrudgingly packed up our backpacks and suitcase and said goodbye to our suite. Charlie asked if we could move to Storm Lake and Leah stated that she would be attending Buena Vista University as her future college choice. Gigi was inquiring why we were doing so much talking and not eating breakfast yet. I thought all the comments and inquiries were well thought out and just. At that moment we decided it would be best to take action on Gigi’s breakfast demands and come up with plans at a later date for the other two.

The Lakeshore crew was handling the holiday rush with an impressive swiftness. No coffee cup went empty. No order came out cold. The buttered toast was popping…The Belgium waffles were wafting….Bacon was sizzling and the flapjacks were jacked and flapping. Lakeshore also had a familiar item to The Iowa Gallivant’s blog. We officially have another contestant for Iowa’s best Biscuits and Gravy!

Welcome to the great B&G quest, Storm Lake! Lakeshore Restaurant places two delicious sausage patties between their homemade biscuit and pours a trough full of peppery country gravy over the plate. Good times!

Overnight #2 supplied us with an action packed family trip to Northwest Iowa. A beautiful lake, exciting water slides, relaxing shores, and a multi cultural experience that is unique to Storm Lake, IA. Only 3 more stops for our scouting trip left and we keep finding the special niches that brings Iowa to light. The beginning is near, RAGBRAI nation. Storm Lake’s cool water and eager population of go-getters have the perfect game plan for any visitor. And now I need another taco…..With a side of noodles…..While floating on a lazy river at a waterpark. See you again, Storm Lake and bring it on RAGBRAI!